Repeat Testing

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Sometimes parents may be told that their baby needs a test to be repeated. This does not necessarily mean that the infant has a disorder. There are a couple of reasons why a newborn screening test may be repeated:

• Abnormal Test Result: This means that the test result was out of the normal range and that additional testing will need to be done on the child in order to rule out any disorders. It is wise to repeat the test, as the result is often normal on the repeat newborn screen.
• Unsatisfactory specimen: Sometimes the tests cannot be processed because there was a problem with the sample.
• Inappropriate wording: Many doctors and nurses inappropriately say that the "PKU was abnormal" when, in actuality, some other section of the newborn screening test was abnormal. Many health care workers inappropriately use "PKU" as a generic term for the newborn screen test itself.

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Related Newborn Screening Tests Articles

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• Newborn Screening Tests Overview
• The Importance of Screening
• Getting Back the Results
• Particular Disorders Screened For
• Repeat Testing
• Final Thoughts